Today marks my 50th day of Intermittent Fasting on Keto. I feel great!
I wanted to share what I experienced these past months, but before I do that I just want to add a brief explanation of the terms I’ll be using for the benefit of readers who are totally new to Intermittent Fasting.
So first off, IF or Intermittent Fasting is basically not eating during a specific time frame. For example, a 12:12 fast means that you’ll fast for 12 hours then eat for 12 hours. A 16:8 fast means that you’ll fast for 16 hours and eat for 8 hours. There’s also 23:1 fasting and extended fasting, but I don’t think I’ll be doing that.
We also have wet and dry fasting. Wet fasting means you can drink water and unsweetened coffee and tea during your fasting time. Dry fasting, like the ones Muslims do, means absolutely no liquid and food for the duration of the fast.
I’m not new to fasting. When I was younger, I use to do 16:8 Intermittent Fasting (IF) but I was not on any diet. It worked as maintenance for me. When I became a Muslim, I did dry fasting during Ramadan (usually 12-14 hours). However, Ramadan Iftars (breakfast meals) tend to be sweet and high carb, so I didn’t really see any weight loss effect.
Last year, I did my Keto Reboot. I hadn’t planned on doing IF but when I joined LCIF, it rekindled my interest in Intermittent Fasting. However, I didn’t start right away because I learned that PCOS patients needed to be extra careful about prolonged fasts. So, I just read up a bit. I finally did IF right before I started my 4th month on
In our LCIFI group, they recommend PCOS patients to do a Crescendo Fast, fasting only for 12 hours every other day. This is so that the body will not be too stressed. As you know stress can trigger hormonal imbalance, especially in women. Basically, when our bodies are stressed or there’s a low-grade inflammation, our ovaries produce excess androgens (male hormones). The excess androgens can trigger other PCOS symptoms like delayed ovulation.
I tried it out for a week first, doing daily 12:12 fasting. I spent about 6-8 hours of my fasted state asleep so technically I was only aware of my fasting time for 4 hours. I didn’t really feel hungry but whenever I hear my tummy rumbling, I just drink water or unsweetened tea. I eventually added 1 tsp of Apple Cider Vinegar to my Himalayan Salt Solé to replenish electrolytes. I tracked my fast using an app called “Zero Calories – fasting tracker for weight loss”. I’ll be honest that there are days that I felt hungry by the 8th-hour mark. I noticed that it happened whenever I felt tired or stressed. Other days, I felt that I could go for 16 hours but I chose to stick to my 12:12 routine.
Weight-wise, I am happy to say that even though I was on Lazy Keto, with 4 Dirty Keto meals and one cheat dessert for this month, I was still able to lose 7.2 lbs. Hurray! I love that I still lose weight, but it doesn’t feel like a burden for me. In fact, it feels natural for me. Keto+IF for the win!
